Fifteen young people have graduated from Toyota Iraq’s technical training, thanks to an on-going partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with generous support from the Federal Republic of Germany through KFW Development Bank. This newest group of fifteen trainees who graduated today are the seventh batch of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have successfully completed a Toyota certified training and ensured access to sustainable livelihood opportunity.

The trainees, who were IDPs from Sheikan district in Ninewa, were offered tailored and technical skills in automotive mastery, customer service and warehouse management, providing a pathway for long-term job opportunities. To date, seven cohorts of IDPs have successfully completed the Toyota-certified training, bringing the total number of IDPs trained under the Toyota-UNDP partnership to 85.

The German Consul General Klemens Semtner thanked KfW Development Bank, UNDP and Toyota for their excellent cooperation and generosity and pointed out that supporting employment possibilities for young people has also a political dimension. “Only if people find hope for a better future and receive a chance to contribute with their skills and labor to the welfare of an entire nation, only then will be sure that despair, radicalization and violent extremism will not return to this country,” he adds.

“At UNDP, we believe in building young people’s skills and nurturing entrepreneurship to better address the local market’s needs, which in turn contributes to economic recovery and growth. Through private sector partnerships with companies like Toyota, we help young men and women enter the job market by providing them with the training and tools to get them started or help them grow,” says UNDP's Resident Representative in Iraq, Zena Ali Ahmad.

"We would not be here today, if not for the generous funding provided by the Federal Republic of Germany, through KFW Development Bank. As one of UNDP’s longest standing partners, Germany has made generous contributions to creating more job opportunities for the people of Iraq, and more broadly to stabilization in Iraq," she adds.

“These initiatives are a part of our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, as we at Toyota Iraq adopted the United Nations universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity,” says Sardar Al-Bebany, President of Toyota Iraq.

“This on-the-job training is part of a larger programme financed by the German government through KfW and implemented by UNDP. Through various activities we support measures geared towards strengthening resilience through employment generation in crisis-affected communities in the country.”, says Dr. Anna-Christine Janke, Director of KfW Office Iraq.

Following the completion of classroom and simulation training, each graduate received on-the-job training for one month with Toyota Iraq’s Authorized Dealers in Erbil and Dohuk. This year's cohort was supported by the Federal Republic of Germany, provided through KFW Development Bank.

The Toyota-UNDP partnership was launched in October 2016 as a flagship joint initiative to give internally displaced people opportunities to enter the automotive industry. Reinforcing a commitment to provide on-going support to young people of Iraq, and to invest in the leaders of tomorrow, the partnership was renewed in 2021, marking six years of collaboration.